This should shut up some pro-abortion people. They’ve complained about this, saying if an unborn baby is a “person” then women should be allowed to claim it on their taxes. Now, Georgia is officially doing just that.
The Huff Post reports:
The Georgia Department of Revenue confirmed in guidance issued Monday that residents may claim an unborn fetus as a dependent on their state tax forms, thus qualifying for an exemption under state law, . The state’s anti-abortion law includes non-viable fetuses in its definition of dependents.
In Georgia, any fetus displaying electrical activity ― a precursor to a heartbeat that can appear around six weeks ― is now “eligible for the Georgia individual income tax dependent exemption,” the state’s Revenue Department said. Pregnant taxpayers are eligible for a $3,000 deduction per fetus, beginning when the law took effect on July 20, 2022.
The anti-abortion law specifies that a fetus with electrical activity qualifies as a “dependent minor.” It also defines “unborn child” as “a member of the species Homo sapiens at any stage of development who is carried in the womb.”
The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution implies that citizenship is defined at birth. But some anti-abortion conservatives are aiming to extend constitutional rights to fetuses, including those at nonviable stages, or even a fertilized embryo. Their efforts could have dire implications for people using fertility treatments and result in increased state surveillance of pregnant people, among other consequences.
This will be great for families who want their babies. They will get an extra break, which will help during the pregnancy, to get ready for the new baby. What do you think pregnant women who don’t want to keep their babies will think about this? Should the father be allowed to if the mother doesn’t claim the fetus? Will he have to get a DNA test to do so? Will the mother and father fight about who gets the exemption, as many divorced parents do now? What other problems can you imagine?
